Breath of Life – Part II -Pranayama

Going wireless can be both a good thing and not so good. It can mean that everywhere becomes an office..and…it means that anywhere can be an office. This morning it is a very good thing indeed. Free from the boundaries of a particular room and the landscape of my desk, I’m outdoors, enjoying sun and birdsong and spring breezes . This doesn’t feel much like work.

When the air is vibrating with life as it is today, it feels effortless and natural to breathe deeply. My body seems hungry to drink in the energy all around me. Stepping through the door, my first instinct is to pause and take a long inhale – drawing inside all that surrounds me outside. A change from the usual, unconscious breathing that takes me through my day – that breath is deliberate, aware, and joyful.

Breathing can be so much more than the mechanical bellows that keeps us alive.

In last week’s blog I touched on the breath/emotion connection. This can flow both ways – the emotion affecting the breath and vice versa. Thinking back on times when I experienced such deep sadness that it was difficult to expand my chest to inhale. Or times when I felt so happy and expansive that breath was like a euphoria producing drug.

Breath is also a gateway to the senses and in turn a trigger of memories.

Evergreens and Christmas. Warm moist earth and Spring. My children carrying the smell of the outdoors with them when they came in from playing. A wiggle of puppies. A kitchen-full of home-cooked soup. I can close my eyes and recall the scent of my Grandmother’s house as sharply as if it were yesterday. Newborn mammals – human and otherwise- bond with their mothers first through sense of smell.

This is powerful stuff.

Pranayama – breathing practices – are an essential part of yoga. We explore ways to regulate the in-breath, the out-breath, and spaces between the breaths. Some techniques boost energy, some quiet the mind and soothe, others are entryways into meditation. Breath can make us remember what has gone before, and paradoxically can also be the most powerful tool we have to keep us present in the now. And, being present is what meditation is all about.

I introduce meditation early on in my yoga classes. Using the breath as a tool, meditation becomes accessible. What follows is a step-by-step practice I put together for my students. I invite you to try it as part of the grand experiment that is yoga and life.

BREATH AWARENESS MEDITATION INSTRUCTIONS
Start this practice slowly at first – only 5 minutes or so – gradually increasing as you gain comfort with the practice. You can work up to 20 minutes. I suggest that you set a kitchen timer at first so you’re not distracted by thinking about the time. Chose a quiet spot, where you can practice and not be interrupted. It’s a good idea to try to practice at the same time each day.

1. Begin in a comfortable seated position – in a straight -backed chair, or seated on the floor. Choose a position that you can hold with relative ease, and that allows your spine be straight and your shoulders to relax. If you are in a chair, place your feet flat on the floor. Rest your palms on your thighs.
2. Do a few stretches to help you settle in – Roll your shoulders, pick them up to your ears and then let go. Do a few seated twists. Come into a seated forward bend. Let these movements help you to begin to notice your body , relax and come into the moment.
3. Let your eyes close – or you can look softly at the floor in front of you.
4. Direct your attention to your breathing – Just watch without changing or altering the breath in any way. Focusing on the area just below the nostril can help with attention.
5. Watch the Breath – Notice how fast, how deeply, you are breathing. Be aware if the breath if flowing smoothly, or if it feels rough or jagged or stuck within the body.
6. Notice sensations – As you become quiet with your attention directed inward you may notice areas of your body that are holding tension or another sensation. Simply notice this, and stay focused on your breathing
7. Notice thoughts – Each time you notice a thought, refocus your attention without strain or judgment or criticism on your breathing.
8. Let your breath get deeper – Soften and expand the belly as you begin the inhale, drawing the breath upward into the chest and the shoulders. Exhale from the top down: shoulders, chest and finally the belly.
9. Continue to notice sensations, thoughts and emotions as you sit and refocus attention on your breath each time you notice.
10. Let your breath return to its natural state. Notice how you feel. Continue on with your day.

”Breath is the bridge which connects life to consciousness, which unites your body to your thoughts. Whenever your mind becomes scattered, use your breath as the means to take hold of your mind again.”…….ThichNhat Hanh